Saturday 24 October 2015

The most magical of ideas! (and gifts)

http://www.themagicdoorstore.com/home/4585159113
Sometimes in blogging I have a lull. Or my mind can be brimming with ideas but nothing really captures my enthusiasm.

But at some point during a lull, usually after a full day when I am totally exhausted, something comes along and you think: wow! I love it and I must share it.

Well, this was the case recently when I got an email in my inbox from The Magic Door Store asking if any bloggers wanted to mention them, especially in the lead up to Christmas! Being the naturally nosey person I am, I clicked on the link and was confronted with the most magical of things...

The possibility of my very own miniature door to welcome fairies and elves into my house!

Well, as a lover of all things magical (I go a bit loopy over Christmas and Santa, as well as being a massive Harry Potter geek) I was immediately adding it to my gift list!

While I will definitely be getting one for my son when he is older he is currently too young to appreciate a magical elf doorway. However, I knew of two little girls whose imagination would be captured by such an enchanting entrance into another world!

In the words of the maker on the website:

"These stylish, miniature doors create a magical entrance for your fairies & elves to visit your home.
All that the fairies & elves require is somewhere quiet & secret so that they can come & go as they please, sprinkling love & magic once everyone is asleep.
Just imagine the excitement of exchanging little gifts & messages with your fairy & elf friends & discovering tiny magic dust footprints on the floor."
 
I was suitably enticed and have now purchased a lovely pink fairy doorway to give to my cousin's little girls. Both the girls Mama and I are really looking forward to introducing it to them.
 
There are so many ways to do this. You could give it to them and tell them that they have to put the door somewhere special and then blow fairy dust over it so that it opens the special portal to fairy land.
 
Or you can use the little extras that the company provides and put a letter outside the door that "welcomes" fairies and elves to use the doorway.
 
Or lastly, and this is my favourite, you could put it down without the children and wait for them to notice it. So they can have the wonder of noticing it and wondering where it came from. If I did this I think I would write a mini letter to the children informing them that we ("the fairies") will now be using the door (but only fairies can open the door with their magic of course).
 
All lovely ideas to capture a child's imagination!
 
We also had the great of idea of using it as a doorway for "Santa's Elves". Telling the girls that the Elves come through at night and make sure that you have been good and your rooms are tidy, and they tell Santa. 
 
At the risk of sounding manipulative (but lets be honest us parents need these tools) this is a great way to ensure that good behaviour that often occurs during the lead up to Christmas. Oh the perks of that glorious month of blackmailing using Santa and presents!
 
Anyway, I was really excited about this item and had to share it before I even got it! But I will also be writing a separate blog post once I have received it, letting you know how the girls got introduced to the doorway and the hit it will no doubt be!
 
Have a magical day!
 

Getting my baby Christmas Chic!

I know, I know, I go on about Christmas like a broken record. I am sorry if you are not a fan of Christmas but I am... so on this blog from now until the 25th of December there will be a lot of the C word.

I am sorry, but I am not really sorry about that. Everyone has there favourite time of year. Some love summer and all its bright, glorious sun... but I am a winter gal through and through. Give me long cosy nights, fireplaces, Yankee candles, mince pies, snow, Christmas markets, mulled wine any day!

I could go on and on... I often do. But I do have a reason behind this (long overdue, as I haven't done one in ages) blog post. I have been slowly but surely prepping my little boys "Christmas wardrobe".

From buying sale items from Next before Archie was even born, this January, to currently pestering my Husband on the importance of Christmas themed baby leggings. They are important!

As always, I wanted to share my little bits and bobs on here. Not only because I like to share things on my blog, but also because some of the best buys have been the cheapest. And I love to share a bargain. I am pretty sure most Mums, especially those with their babies first Christmas this year, are keen to have one or two cute and festive outfits this season.

Firstly one of the best places I have found for Christmas outfits/clothing at really great prices are charity shops. I have noticed that a lot of charity shops are currently making little "seasonal" rails in their shops. Several of the ones I have been into have had dedicated rails of baby and children's clothing that are Halloween or Christmas themed.

I have been pawing through these rails in my local shops and come up with some real gems, because as much as I love Christmas (and want to drive my Husband insane with Archie's Christmas clothes) I do appreciate that it is one month of the year, and spending a lot on these clothes would probably wasteful and frivolous.

I have also noticed that a lot of the seasonal clothes have been new or barely worn as well. I popped into one charity shop the other day and they had a large pile of £1 body suits (Christmas themed) in various sizes. They were end of the line items given to them by Tesco, from their F&F range and were brand new/unworn with the labels still on.

Here are pictures of the three body suits I picked up for £1 each...


In addition to the above I also recently purchased a onesie from a charity shop, it is a jumper fabric with penguins on. For less than a couple of pounds it will be a nice addition to his wardrobe, as well as being a warm outfit on those colder days.


As well as trawling through the charity shops I did start buying items back in January. Being the festive addict that I am I knew that I would want to get some Christmas jumpers for my baby, so I bought some Next jumpers in their January sale. Although it is probably too late for anyone wanting a sale priced Christmas jumper now, I would highly recommend looking next January for next Christmas. You can pick up some real bargains (just be sure to get the right size for your baby next Christmas).

Here is a little picture of the jumpers (and other items) I got in January...


As well as the bargain items, I have bought the odd full priced item. For instance I couldn't resist these Snowman leggings from Blade and Rose, having just ordered them they are on there way to me. I am really excited about Archie wearing these! I am a big fan of baby leggings. I have said it before and I will say it again, they are so much easier for nappy changes. If you know a Mama-to-be get her baby leggings. They are easier for washing, wiping sick off and changing a wriggling baby. They also last longer (usually being 6 month age ranges instead of the usual 3 months).

Picture from the Blade and Rose website

I also plan on buying the Reindeer leggings they currently have on their website because one pair of Christmas leggings is clearly not enough!

There is a link to the Blade and Rose website here.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed my little festive themed blog, have a great evening! :)
 

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Why I weaned before 6 months...

Yes, some Mums may read this and be shocked and appalled, but I would hope you would read all that I write because you may be surprised.

Yes, I didnt wait until 6 months to wean. But that doesnt mean I didnt do a lot of research, talk to medical professionals and think hard before I decided to wean before the 6 month recommendation.

I think there is nothing wrong if you decide to wait until 6 months old, if you did then I am pleased for you and even congratulate you, but I also think there is another side to weaning. The side that considers not waiting until 6 months old.

I found weaning to be a real mine field when I was looking into it. There is no doubt that us modern Mums get a lot of conflicting advice. There is the "old school" view of weaning earlier (before 6 months) that you may often hear from older family members and friends, then there is the current recommendation of waiting until 6 months.

I thought the contention over natural birth and breast feeding was hard to navigate... Then there is/was sleeping through the night and now... Well, welcome to weaning...

My son turns 5 months soon. He is a hungry baby, he weighs the same as some 6 months old... But is tall too so it is all in proportion. Around the time I decided to start weaning, my son was almost strong enough to sit independently, has always had good head control, was showing an interest in food and was showing signs of having developed his tongue thrust motion. All these are signs he was ready for weaning before 6 months.

Therefore I was strongly considering it and decided to do some research into it.

As I mentioned, these days the advice is to wait 6 months. This left me feeling unsure about what to do, I didnt want to be a bad Mum but I had to read the signs my baby was giving me.

However, one think I was acutely aware of was the "weaning" dictators... do you know who I mean? I have read numerous forum posts/topics where one person is considering weaning before 6 months and they get a horrible put down from numerous other parents.

Firstly I think this public putting down of a fellow parent is unnecessary! Why do we insist on doing this to each other?! On a side note, I really think as parents we need to encourage each other and offer advice in a positive manner!

Secondly, upon doing research into weaning I have found that there is still medical contention over when is actually best to wean!

Several articles over the past few years highlight that there could arguably be issues with waiting to wean a baby.

I have read articles that say weaning too soon causes higher risks of potential diabetes in older age and allergies... But I have also read that waiting 6 months or longer can cause the same issues.

So while I am being informed 6 months is practically a must I don't really feel this offers a complete picture on when is best to wean, now that I have done my own research.

Furthermore, bare in mind that the 6 month recommendation comes from research done throughout the world. It takes into account developing countries where breast milk is often a lot more nutritional than the food they would offer a baby, as well as more sterile.

This frustrates me because not only do they not look at the needs of your baby on an individual level when it comes to milestones like weaning, but it seems the guidelines are overly generalised (and include variables which would never apply to my child).

I think we need to, as parents, remember that sometimes guidelines are just that. If you follow them too strictly you may miss key signals from your baby that they are ready for development.

It also seems that one of the reasons the recommendation is 6 months is because women often stop breastfeeding when they wean and these guidelines basically encourage women to breastfeed longer... I think there could be other ways to encourage longer breastfeeding.

Upon doing my research I found that a babies digestive system is usually fully developed around 4 months (which is I waited until after this to wean).

I genuinely feel it is important to consider the guidelines as just that; guidelines. I think as parents we need to be listening to the signals our babies give us. I know that these guidelines are useful tools to enable parents to make the best choices but as I mentioned these guidelines are not based on your child's needs as an individual. A part of me wishes that the NHS would take more time to help parents make informed decisions about subjects such as when to start weaning on a baby by baby basis.

Of course, this is just my opinion, and I always recommend getting the advice of a medical professional (like I did) and doing your own research. I also feel it is important to note that my sons solid food has not replaced any of the milk feeds he is getting, as I read that this is important. I am also not feeding him anything that could be considered an allergen until the recommended age. I found Annabel Karmel's books very useful for this information.

Goodbye Bake Off... Homage to Bake Off: White Chocolate Torte


The Great British Bake Off final is tonight, it is a bitter sweet moment. I can't wait to see who wins but it means the end until next year.

In a homage to Bake Off I have quickly whipped up some White Chocolate Tortes for me and my Husband tonight, to eat while watching it. This recipe was done in under 20 minutes and only uses 4 ingredients, so I felt like it was my moral obligation to share this simple and chocolatey recipe!

I dont really know if "torte" is the right word to describe this dessert, it is sort of like a creamy/chocolatey cheesecake, but doesnt have cheese in it... So I am just calling it a torte...

This recipe is one I have used over the years to make a variety of tortes. You can change the chocolate and the biscuit base to make a variety of styles (I once made a triple chocolate one, where I used the same method with the chocolate and cream but just used 3 different types: dark, milk and white chocolate. Then placed them in layers).

This recipe just makes 2 small ramekin dishes worth of dessert, but you can make a big one, or more smaller ones, by increasing the ingredient quantities.

I used Nice biscuits as I had some in cupboard that needed using and I thought the coconut in the biscuits would compliment the white chocolate.

Ingredients
50g of butter
120g of Nice biscuits
80g of white chocolate
200ml of double cream
You will also need 2 small ramekin dishes to put the dessert in. 


Method 
Firstly weigh out the butter and then melt it in the microwave.

Then mix up the biscuits in a food processor until you have a fine crumb mixture. Now mix the butter into the biscuit mix, making sure all the crumbs have a nice coating of the butter.

Now spoon the mixture into 2 ramekin dishes, half in each dish. Then push the mixture into the base with a spoon, and flatten it out, like so (see picture to right).

Now get the white chocolate and melt it in the microwave, put it on a low setting and be sure to watch it so the chocolate doesnt melt. Once the chocolate is melted place 2 tablespoons of the cream into the chocolate and mix it well (make sure the cream is room temperature otherwise it can make the chocolate harden again and difficult to work with).

Whip the rest of the cream until you have a slightly thicker consistency than before... It doesnt have to be stiff peaks, just enough to add a little air and thickness into the cream. Then add in the chocolate and cream mixture and mix together well.

Now pour the chocolate and cream mixture over the biscuit base. Your desserts should look like this:


Put the tortes in the fridge for at least 2 hours, to set, before eating.

Tip: if you have time and the inclination slicing up strawberries and placing them on top adds a nice touch. 

I hope you enjoy these if you make them. :)

Sunday 4 October 2015

GIVEAWAY! Bespoke Christmas Dungarees or Dress from Dolittle Dumplings!

I feel like a good squeal of excitement should be inserted here. I am super excited about this giveaway!

Since the last giveway with Dolittle Dumplings went so well, and resulted in this beautiful bespoke coat (see below), I felt I had to team up with Dolittle Dumplings again to offer something else... and naturally with Christmas coming I had to do something festive!

Coat that was special designed for winner of the last Dolittle Dumpling giveaway!
So, Mama Lucy is giving away some beautiful bespoke clothing from Dolittle Dumplings once again. And it is Christmas themed! You could win a Dolittle Dumplings Dress or a pair of Dungarees!

 
 

The winner of this giveaway will once again get to pick the Christmas fabric they want and whether they want a dress or a pair of dungarees. Sizes are available up to age 3 for this giveaway.
 
You could get your little one that cute Christmas day outfit all sorted with this giveaway!

To enter all you have to do is either comment on this blog post below or go the Mama Lucy page (click here) then like the Mama Lucy page, share the post about the giveaway and comment on the post as well (really important you comment!).
Make sure you do all three if you enter via facebook, so that you get entered into the prize draw!
Winner to be announced in 2 weeks time.

A big thank you once again to Dolittle Dumplings for teaming up with Mama Lucy, please take a moment to check out their beautiful clothing here.

Good luck everyone!

The images of the dresses and dungarees above are examples only, to showcase the designs that Dolittle Dumplings do. The dresses in the giveaway are A line pinafore style dresses and are fully reversible. The giveaway only includes sizes up to age 3.